This will focus everyone on the national democratic importance of elections and encourage participation. It would also raise children's awareness of the importance of elections so they can be more informed and interested by the time they are adults and have voting responsibility.

Scotland is part of the UK. Many policies affecting Scotland are decided by the Westminster government, and even some of the devolved policies are affected by Westminster, and SNP MP's vote on these matters. The SNP currently have 6 MP's and 2 MEP's. They hold 64 seats out of 129 in the Scottish Parliament. They have over 92,000 members. Polling suggest that in May the SNP could win up to 32 Westminster seats and could be the third largest party in Westminster. UKIP are being included in the debates. They have 2 very recent MP's and 24 MEP's. They have 42,000 members. The same polling suggests that they could win 3 seats at the election. The Liberal Democrats, by the same polling forecast could win 27 seats. The SNP could therefore have more seats than the LibDems and UKIP combined and have a greater impact on decisions on policy. I think people across the UK should be able to hear how the SNP could affect policies after 2015.

The Scottish Government is consulting on a bill to reform higher education governance. UCU Scotland wants to see: Elected chairs of governing bodies Governing bodies to be more representative and to include trade union and student representation An agreed definition of academic freedom to protect all academic and related staff

Stone Court has provided a valuable service for vulnerable families in the area since opening in 1993. It isn't just a roof over their heads it is a complete support network that helps families with day to day life and getting back onto an even footing. Stone Court is the only service like this in the area. Without the funding from Torbay Council the network of support staff can no longer be afforded and residents have been issued with a Section 21 notice to quit. Past families have seen Stone Court as a lifeline that they couldn't have done without and wouldn't know where they would be now if it wasn't for their support. There is no service in place to take over from the good work Stone Court does. Lose Stone Court you lose a very valuable resource that has helped vulnerable families in Torbay for years.

Following public opposition in May, the government has revised its regulations for the privatisation of children's social services. Now, companies (such as Serco, G4S, KPMG) only need to set up a "not-for-profit" subsidiary. This will not show any profit as the parent company will charge the subsidiary at a cost which it determines. The government says this is about innovation, but local authorities do not require outsourcing and private companies to be given contracts to generate innovation. There are experienced experts with all local authorities who do the work for the good of the children and not to make profit. Outsourced services often cut costs and make profits by employing fewer staff or less-qualified workers. Some councils might see this as a solution to the government's drastic funding cuts and in fact the government can direct local authorities to cease providing the services. This privatisation has to be stopped for the sake of all the children and families who need support and protection.

The ongoing discoveries of links to so many illnesses and diseases; Autism, Gut disruption, allergies, asthma, breast cancer, endocrine disruption and so many more... We can all make our own choices to avoid it, but it's everywhere! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zOlGf_MWsg http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/30/glyphosate-toxicity.aspx

For every year that we work, a younger person is deprived of a job.

This will potentially combat a social housing crisis in Kirkby, Greenbelt areas are soon to be built on to take the strain of the issue. There are currently over 70 vacant houses on Cherryfield Drive which were bought with CPO's (compulsary purchase orders) by Knowsley Council and were set to be demolished to make way for the superstore which has now been cancelled. The existing residents have been moved out to a new estate which was built on St Kevins playing fields in Northwood. All of these properties (prior to works) were in a good state of repair and are currently just shells which could be re assembled and lived in. Knowsley Council are commited to the demolition of these homes, a lot of which could easily be converted into single story "bugalo's" of which no developers are currently building, for elderly or disabled residents. "Tesco will also finish the current work to clear the site of the empty houses on Cherryfield Drive so that the site will be available for future development" At present there are no other developers or partners and in reality we cannot expect one to come along any time soon. As well as Kirkby, there are now currently another 48 Councils canvassing for the same thing, we may be in for a long wait! Please halt this demolition and begin a study into the potential re-use of these properties and protect our greenbelt area at the same time!

The Chagos archipelago is situated in the Indian Ocean, mid-way between India and Africa. Some 2,000 people lived on the archipelago, the majority on the largest island of Diego Garcia. Their ancestry on the islands went back to the 18th century. During the 1960s and 1970s British governments, both Labour and Tory, tricked and expelled the entire population of the Chagos, a British colonial dependency, so that Diego Garcia, the main island of their homeland, could be given to the United States as the site for a military base. This act of mass kidnapping by the British government was carried out in high secrecy, along with the conspiracy that preceded it. The last islander was deported in 1973. The 'deportation or forcible transfer of a population...a crime against humanity', is according to the words of Article 7 of the Statute of the International Criminal Court. These displaced people still in Mauritius and the Seychelles continue to suffer in poverty to this day and continue to exist in sadness, longing to return to their homeland. Many have died in misery, living in the hope of going home. In 2002, travelling with their new British passports, many of the Chagossians began to arrive in Britain, to bring their campaign to London and to escape the poverty of Mauritius. All of them wanted to return to the Chagos Islands rather than be in England. It is estimated that more than 2,000 Chagossians now live on the margins of UK society mainly in the town of Crawley, with a smaller community in Manchester. In both places they struggle to reconstruct their lives. Meanwhile dozens of jobs on Diego Garcia are being advertised in the Philippines, including posts for electricians, cashiers, mechanics, stock clerks, janitors, welders, firefighters, engineers and massage therapists. There have been no reports of these jobs being advertised in Mauritius, the Seychelles or the UK, where most of the Chagossian community live. We can’t help but wonder why.they have not been given priority for these positions in their own land. Since being illegally evicted, very few Chagossians have been able to get jobs at the foreign base in their homeland despite many trying. The hope is that the islanders be allowed to return to their islands as soon as possible before more of them die in a British imposed exile, never to see their homeland again.

Birnbeck pier was built in the Victorian era and is the only pier of it's kind left in the country. The pier is important to westonians and those who visited the town over the years. Weston is a Victorian seaside town and our heritage needs protecting. The cost of repairing this building is enormous but the cost of the buildings demise is even greater. As many of the Victorian buildings are left to rot and ruin our tourist industry flails. Give the people of Weston back a pier which is dear to hearts of many and give tourists a reason to visit!

This is a community asset in a deprived section of the city that is used by the public and organisations which, will be displaced from Derby Arena for concerts, pantomimes, exhibitions and more. It forms part of a well used hub where parents/family members can all partake of differing sports at the same time in one location. This will not be possible if you close it or reduce its size and will lead to parents being forced to choose one child's activity over the other. It is easily accessible from all areas and has ample parking.

Not only will TTIP effect our NHS and democracy nationally, TTIP will have significant implications for local public services. It will open up access to central and local government services to be bought up by big corporations. Measures by Lewisham Council which are designed to promote local employment, foster environmental protection or protect public health could be challenged in the extra-judicial trade tribunals, whose decisions are unchallengeable and made by trade lawyers, not judges. Lewisham is opposed to the TTIP, defending basic public services for solidarity and social redistribution.